I'm known for my strong views on mobile technology, online media, and the effect this has on and communication will have on the public conscious and existing businesses.
I've been following this space for over ten years, working with a number of publishers, publications and media companies, some for long periods of time, others for commissions, one-off pieces or a series of articles or shows.
As Scotland’s first podcaster, I continue to be a prominent voice in the rise of podcasting and new media online, and picked up a British Academy (BAFTA) nomination for my annual coverage of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, alongside contributions to Radio 5 Live, the BBC World Service, presenting Edinburgh local radio's coverage of the General Election.
You'll find me on Twitter (@Ewan), Facebook, and Google Plus.

Looking Back On The Moto X: The Android Handset That Changed The Smartphone World

With the upcoming release of their next-generation handset, now is the time to look back on the signature Moto X smartphone… one of the few Android handsets that genuinely changed the landscape.

The Moto X was not Motorola’s first Android handset. Arguably with a large marketing spend from Verizon their Droid handset established Google’s operating system in the US carrier market. Providing the carriers with a competitive handset to rival the iPhone not only gave Motorola mind-share in North America, it also established Android as a valid option around the world.

Given its strong adoption in Europe, Android was not in desperate need of another hit, but the American market is a different beast to the rest of the world (as both Symbian and Windows Phone have found out to their cost), so the Droid delivered a solid base hit in Google’s domestic market. Google’s purchase of the Motorola Mobility division ensured that interest in the next handset was going to be high. Not least because of Google’s existing Nexus range of handsets, which are still used to show off the latest version of Android.

Moto X (image: Motorola)

Two years after Google announced the intent to buy Motorola Mobility, the first new handset became available… the Moto X. Initially available in the US markets, it placed for focus not on developers (a remit which remains with the Nexus) but on consumers. With a customisable back plate, an ergonomic curved style, and the resources of Google to back up the design team, expectations were high, and they were pretty much met.

What I found interesting is that Motorola didn’t go all out in the specifications – the dual-core Krait CPU ran at 1.7 GHz, it had 2 GB memory, and either 16 GB or 32 GB of on-board storage. But no support for MicroSD cards for extra storage – being a Google product the intention was to push users towards Google Drive and cloud storage.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was the screen. With a resolution of 1280×720 pixels, the handset is a 720p HD resolution but the UI focussed on larger elements and large touch targets making the handset easier to use. Sacrificing the volume of information that could be shown on screen for clarity was a smart design move, pitching the Moto X at the general consumer, rather than those focussed on the ultimate pixel level. Certainly the AMOLED 4.7″ screen is a pleasure to use, with bright and bold colours.

The smaller screen also allows for a compact design. I’ve already noted it fits in the hand nicely, but the smaller screen brings the handset into the ‘one-handed’ territory… something the main lines from HTC, Sony, and Samsung have all avoided with their near-phablet screens. A flagship phone in the ‘mid-range’ size is still a novelty, although the recent Z1 Compact from Sony has followed that lead. Motorola spent a lot of time on the design, creating 3D samples of various hands to find the best shape possible (how very Google). The result is one of the nicest feeling phones in your hand.

The biggest new ‘feature’ on the Moto X was the Moto Maker, allowing customers to choose the colour and style of their handset, with a choice of materials for the back plate. That doesn’t change the basic nature of the phone, but the personalisation brings the phone closer to each consumer.

Moto X (image: Motorola)

Not surprisingly, the Moto X launched with the stock Android UI, although it wasn’t a cutting edge version (likely due to an internal firewall between the Motorola team and the Android team to reassure other manufacturers). Along with some changes to the icons, color shading, and spacing, the Moto X shipped with two new hardware ‘cores’, to process contextual information and to process natural language.

The latter allows you to say ‘OK Google Now’ into thin air and have your handset come out of stand-by and wait for instructions. These can be spoken in natural language and a mix of the on-board hardware and Google’s cloud processing will allow touch-less control of the handset. This is tied in heavily with Google Now (and presumably Android Wear will have a similar system for their smartwatch) and frankly feels a bit of a novelty, rather than something practical. It’s still a long way away from KITT in Knight Rider, but technology is slowly getting there. I’m sure Google will be grabbing lots of usage data to improve the accuracy, but this is not a feature I’m going to miss on other Android devices.

The former allows for more alerts to be placed onto the lock screen of the low-power AMOLED screen, giving you not just an unlock icon, but information about incoming emails, texts, messages, and other details on your handset that are part of the notification system. It gives you more information on a quick glance than many other Android devices. Making best use of the lock screen adds functionality to the device, and also helps it stand out. I also liked that these notifications are only surfaced when they need to be through the monitoring of the accelerometer, positioning, and light sensor.

If those were the only contributions to the consumer market, then the Moto X would have earned its spurs for North America. It was critically acclaimed and accepted by the public. While it took some time to reach foreign shores, it’s been a solid handset for Motorola.

But the activities around the handset contributed much more to Google’s control of the Android ecosystem.

The first is that the Moto X was a clear challenger to Samsung’s Galaxy range of handsets. With the release of the lower priced Moto G challenging the low-end Android handsets carrying the Galaxy branding, Google and Motorola took the same play as Samsung by relying on a name to sell handsets across a whole portfolio. That the Moto X did not sell in huge volumes I think is more down to using the Moto X as leverage rather than a blunt instrument.

Post Your Comment

Post Your Reply

Forbes writers have the ability to call out member comments they find particularly interesting. Called-out comments are highlighted across the Forbes network. You'll be notified if your comment is called out.